“Some things in life are out of your control. You can make it a party or a tragedy.” ― Nora Roberts, Vision in White

Niki lived this in life and in death. I met her in 2003 over the internet and she was contacting me about learning to paint. We had a deep connection as we shared long two hour conversations daily. She was grieving the death of her partner and really reaching out trying to find something to take her mind off her pain and loss. She did paint for about two years but fell into raising and showing Newfoundland Dogs. She had 6-8 of them running through her estate outside D.C.

We remained close friends until her death in Aug of 2013. It was totally unexpected but a blessing and I knew she was celebrating in heaven over the process. You see Niki was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's in late 2012. She was struggling with a limp that had started when they discovered the cause. She was a strong woman and went for checkups as needed. She was a breast cancer survivor and had a strong personality that kept her positive and happy all of the time. We stayed closely in touch from the diagnosis forward and I prayed often. She was a highly intelligent woman that ran a self funded foundation for Tourette Syndrome. She had families connected to her around the world. Her death was a loss for many. Her death eight months after her diagnosis was totally unexpected. She had one of those vagus nerve incidents that lead to immediate death. Her son told me she had experienced no pain... just sat down and it happened and they found her on the floor. She left for her party... to continue on in heaven.

The painting was a Pop piece I did of her, and entitled Niki. Unfortunately her son liquidated her entire art collection of 67 years. She had some highly sought pieces. This piece was picked up by an arthouse on the east coast and he stuck it up on ebay. So if you like it... you can find it HERE.

As the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor. Esther 9:12

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Laurie Justus Pace Contemporary Texas Artist

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